Gladiolus communis subsp. byzantinus

@sara2309 - 😁👍🏼 , thought I'd miss this completely while away, but looks like I'll manage to enjoy the last few days of it! I love it 😊 #pink #gladioli

They are so pretty! Pleased you saw them 😀

🎉🎆🎉🎆🎉 how lovely! They waited for you! They are just gorgeous.

Wow amazingly beautiful :)

Lovely

It's a beauty

I wonder if these are what mine are I posted the other day 🤔🤔🤔

Beautiful 😀

Beautiful pic💜

Gorgeous :)

Lovely

Fab colour 💗

Afternoon all 👋🏼 , some bursting buds for you today. #bud

Beautiful! 😍😍💖 I think these are borderline winter hardy here. :) I think I should have some to show off soon too!

@richard.spicer.7906 Love these, such a beautiful colour and much more refined than 'allotment gladioli' I like G. papilio and it's Ruby form too

Mine have flowered. I am so happy.

👌🏻😍

Loved all your pics today @richard.spicer.7906 😄thanks for sharing. Photos like this inspire me :)

Yeah Karen, I agree, great photos Rich!

Exciting @MelanieAt , this is my first year growing these, can't wait to see yours too 😀

I think you hit the nail on the head there @tash74 - I've tried to grow other gladioli before and they just never perform that well for me. Just getting into some of the species type at the mo - I tried a tender winter flowering variety from South Africa this winter but it was a bit of a casualty - should have waited till I got my greenhouse! Bulb looks ok though so will try it again next year. 👍🏼

Aw thanks Karen & Mike 😊, lovely comments and glad to hear they're providing some inspiration 🙏🏼 @Patiorose @mikethegardener

Ooh, which was the South African variety? Not heard of one before, you're like me - love finding unusual things!

Gladiolus carneus - I picked a single bulb up at a specialist at a show, I'll try and find the link. I thought I was doing well and had some nice healthy leaves and then it got damaged in some severe gales and never recovered. Wiped out a Watsonia that I'd bought from the same place. Lesson learnt though. The winter flowering types need complete dormancy over summer so I'll just keep the pot in a shed now till autumn when I'll start watering it again. @tash74

I think I may have planted these a little too close to one another....🤔 #newgrowth

Just a tad... 😉

One for the 'adjustment' list later this year @brightcolours 😉

Always things we can tinker with/improve on @richard.spicer.7906!! My list just keeps getting longer and longer... 😊

#bulbs

Photo diary time. I've been busy planting more bulbs. I'm experimenting with sinking bulbs planted in aqua pots (a bit like bulb trays but I prefer these as there are more holes in them). The reason I'm using them is I would like to lift them again after they have finished flowering to make room for something else in its place and I think it will be easier in these pots. This one is another species Gladioli - Gladiolus communis subsp. Byzantinus. Fingers crossed this will work 😳

Well, this is just a theory, but as it has holes in it, when I sink the pot into the ground in the border it would still allow water to escape, and prevent water-logging. They appear to have more holes than a normal bulb tray. @linfoster

Planted 1st November

Very interesting. Excuse my ignorance but how do you keep the soil from eking (think that's a word lol ) out ?

Yes that's right @fuschia - nothing will escape other than water. I will plant the whole thing (including pot) into the ground, so no chance of any soil escaping. The idea is that I can safely lift them out of the ground all together after they have finished flowering and put something else in its place. The pot keeps all the bulbs together and helps when lifting (in theory anyway 😉)

That's ingenious @richard.spicer.7906 👍👍👍

Very good I'll try because I always loose my small bulbs

Very interesting thank you 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

#bulbs